Junction City Prison
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Junction City Prison was located at the intersection of S Adcock Road and Pen Road NW near Junction City, Ohio. Originally the site of a brick plant, the State of Ohio purchased the property in 1913 to be used as a satellite prison for the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio, for the care of aged and disabled prisoners. Prison guard Grant Weakly was shot to death during an escape attempt on September 2, 1927 while escorting prisoners to the dentist office. The escapees Patrick Riley and Fred Kellogg were apprehended in nearby New Lexington, Ohio. The original structure burned to the ground and was rebuilt with brick by prisoners in 1928. The prison closed briefly between 1935 and 1938 while a third floor was added. An educational wing was added in 1970. Another incident occurred on January 7, 1974, when two inmates took three females hostage at knife-point. After several tense hours, twenty-eight Ohio State Highway Patrolmen raided the room, killing one inmate and injuring the other. The prison closed permanently in 1977.
Soon after closing, the prison was purchased by Nepco for use as a gasohol refinery.
The 1980 movie drama Brubaker starring Robert Redford was filmed at the prison.
In the early 1990s, Perry County Pizza occupied the educational wing of the prison. The company made frozen pizza kits for school fundraisers.
The Junction City Prison was demolished sometime between 2003 and 2006.
